Hunting with a .410

[FN USA]

Does anyone hunt whitetails with a .410 anymore? I've got an old Savage 24 in .22Lr-.410 that been in the family for years I was going to pass down to my son. He's nearly old enough to come hunting with me in a ground blind. I was wondering if it had enough "umph" to drop a deer.
1. Good enough to drop a deer? Distances?
2. How old were your kids when you started hunting with them?

 

[Michigan Slim]

Some say it's enough.
Personally, I know two people that USED them. Even with good placement they were losing deer. These were Michigan farmers. They shot everything anywhere. Both families live on wild game and their gardens. Good shots. Lost lots of deer.

 

[Mr. Habib]

Personally, I wouldn't hunt anything larger than miniature giraffe with one.

 

[snapping turtle]

At one time In Indiana the savage 24 was not legal to use for deer. Fell into multi caliber guns and even if it was say a 357 over 20 guage both legal. The combo was not to the letter of the law.

Great rifle for tree rats.

 

[FN USA]

At one time In Indiana the savage 24 was not legal to use for deer. Fell into multi caliber guns and even if it was say a 357 over 20 guage both legal. The combo was not to the letter of the law.

Great rifle for tree rats.

I hadn't heard that before. Is it legal now?

 

[snapping turtle]

From the new regulations:
combination rifle-shotguns are allowed

So you are legal to use the combination rifle shotgun now. Maybe it changed when high power rifles were made legal. I think the were no go before because rifles were not legal. This might be a weird sticky situation with a hard nose wildlife officer as a 22 is not legal for deer. My situation was a savage 222/20 guage savage. That 10 gauge shot pumpkin ball slugs great to 70 yards. My guess is they though we would use the rifle barrel.

 

[Mgderf]

It is my understanding that the Savage model 24 would NOT be legal for deer because the rifle barrel is not chambered for a legal deer caliber.

I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

 

[Itchytriggerfinger]

I'd prefer a 10mm carbine over a .410 if you're worried about recoil.

A new or newish shooter with an underpowered gun is just begging for disappointment. Or worse, an injured deer you can't track.

 

[natdscott]

3" Slugs at 25 yards, max...IF the gun will group that far.

You are bowhunting with those pebbles.

 

[pitbulld45]

Not regularly any more but it comes out occasionally. My wife toilet her first deer with the same .410 my son took his first deer with and I have smoked some deer with it over the years.

Mine is a mossberg pump

 

[Mij]

Does anyone hunt whitetails with a .410 anymore? I've got an old Savage 24 in .22Lr-.410 that been in the family for years I was going to pass down to my son. He's nearly old enough to come hunting with me in a ground blind. I was wondering if it had enough "umph" to drop a deer.
1. Good enough to drop a deer? Distances?
2. How old were your kids when you started hunting with them?

Never did. Didn’t approve of the rule change when it started. I do of course understand the reasoning. Get young folks or folks that are recoil sensitive into hunting, or a much worse reason. To help the insurance companies reduce there liability. Car/Deer accidents. They ( insurance lobbyists) were big in the decision to allow the rule change.

I think there are a lot of better calibers (now) out there to achieve the same result. The .243 for instance. But if I recall and I may be mistaken about this, When the .410 rule came into being, we could not yet use rifles for deer. We could use hand guns, but not rifles. My buddies could use a TC contender in 35 Rem. Mag. But I couldn’t use my Mod. 336 in 30-30 Win. You can figure that one out…

I don’t think the .410 is a reliable deer cartridge, but that’s just me. YMMV.

Is your gun a 24-S I’d hold on to that one. I put them up there with the Rem. 788. …….Sleepers. Best to ya. Get you’re boy out there with you however, whatever.

 

[FN USA]

Never did. Didn’t approve of the rule change when it started. I do of course understand the reasoning. Get young folks or folks that are recoil sensitive into hunting, or a much worse reason. To help the insurance companies reduce there liability. Car/Deer accidents. They ( insurance lobbyists) were big in the decision to allow the rule change.

I think there are a lot of better calibers (now) out there to achieve the same result. The .243 for instance. But if I recall and I may be mistaken about this, When the .410 rule came into being, we could not yet use rifles for deer. We could use hand guns, but not rifles. My buddies could use a TC contender in 35 Rem. Mag. But I couldn’t use my Mod. 336 in 30-30 Win. You can figure that one out…

I don’t think the .410 is a reliable deer cartridge, but that’s just me. YMMV.

Is your gun a 24-S I’d hold on to that one. I put them up there with the Rem. 788. …….Sleepers. Best to ya. Get you’re boy out there with you however, whatever.

Thanks for the insight! In my research I found Henry makes a long ranger in .243 that looks to be the perfect setup. I guess I'm going to have to start saving my pennies!

I'm not sure the varient of the 24 I have, but it's got the side selector, rear take down and single trigger in case hardened steel. Beautiful gun really.

 

[jy951]

I'd prefer a 10mm carbine over a .410 if you're worried about recoil.

A new or newish shooter with an underpowered gun is just begging for disappointment. Or worse, an injured deer you can't track.

I don't believe a 10mm carbine is legal for deer. 10mm handgun is legal. Last I checked.

 

[natdscott]

Is your gun a 24-S I’d hold on to that one. I put them up there with the Rem. 788. …….Sleepers. Best to ya. Get you’re boy out there with you however, whatever.

Those 788 are a decent, accurate action, but they do beat up brass, if a guy reloads.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

I personally don't like the .410 for deer, I don't think it has quite enough knockdown power to ethically take deer.

Sounds like you have an excuse to buy a new gun, or at least that was my reasoning for building my 6.5 Grendel AR. Virtually no recoil for my son, plenty of knockdown power for white tails, and it's pleasant to shoot with my suppressor on it.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Keep in mind that .410 slugs out of shotgun barrels are somewhat similar to stout 9mm handgun rounds (Think .357 Sig).

Not an ideal putter-downer of deer-sized critters. Will it work? Yes. But being hamstrung by terminal energy really really really limits .410.

A Handi-rifle in .357Mag would probably be way more betterer.

 

[Michigan Slim]

My daughter has been shooting deer with a .44 mag Marlin since she was 11. No recoil but noisy.